


Perfect Plan

by emaed



Category: Daniel Howell - Fandom, Phan, Phil Lester - Fandom, dan and phil
Genre: Fluff, M/M, proposal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-10
Updated: 2018-03-10
Packaged: 2019-03-29 10:02:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13924806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emaed/pseuds/emaed
Summary: When Phil tries to plan the perfect evening out to propose to his long-time boyfriend, Dan, he assumes that the right moment will simply present itself; however, what Phil doesn’t realize is that the right moment might not be one that anyone expects.





	Perfect Plan

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first fic I've posted, so constructive criticism is welcome!

10am

Phil had already set up the reservation at the Angus Steakhouse in Leicester Square for the special occasion. He bought the tickets for The Book of Mormon the week before – starting at 7:30, so dinner’s at 5:30. An alarm went off, the text on his screen reading ‘RESERVATION’ in order to remind him to call the restaurant f he hadn’t already. He smiled to himself while tapping the off button. “Way ahead of you, past me,” he whispered, running a hand through his fringe before consulting his list of things to do. 

With the reservation in place, the next thing he needed was flowers. He wanted everything to be perfect, right down to the way he told Dan about their plans for the night. Although he hadn’t decided exactly when he was going to ask, he was certain that the right time would present itself at some point. The flower shop was only a few blocks down from their building, and he had just heard Dan get in the shower, so he figured he could get there and back without being noticed missing. Silently, he ran out the door and down all 47 of their stairs and out of the building, walking briskly down the road to the small florist studio. ‘Nothing too fancy,’ he thought, ‘but nothing too plain.’ As he entered the shop, a little breathless from the vigorous stroll, he smiled at the middle-aged man behind the counter.  
“Hello, sir. Anything I can help you with?” the man asked, a cheery grin on his lips. 

Phil glanced at the plastic rectangle on the mans chest, reading ‘Tony’ in bold letters. “Uh, yeah actually! I’m looking for a bouquet of Stargazer Lilies, I think. I don’t want too many, maybe seven? Nine? I’m not entirely sure,” he rambled on, looking around the room to see the different colours and silhouettes of the plants. The place was small, but that didn’t stop there from being as many flowers as possible. From orchids, to carnations, to the timeless rose, the shop had everything.  
“For sure, we can get you some of those,” Tony smiled, exclaiming “I love Stargazer Lilies!” before walking away, coming back with a handful of the flower moments later. “So, what’re these beautiful specimens going to be for? A special someone I assume,” he winked slyly, looking back down as he began to bundle nine Lilies together and wrap them in light pink paper. 

“They’re for my boyfriend, actually. I’m going to propose to him tonight,” Phil replied, voice smaller than before, but his face was still lit up with excitement.  
Tony paused his work to look at Phil with a wide grin and a sparkle in his eye. “How wonderful! I love proposals with all my heart, I hope everything goes well for you two! Might I suggest, for this special occasion, that we add some Irises in with these Lilies? I think it would be the perfect combination and the Irises would add just that little bit extra ‘I love you’ factor into the mix,” he enthused, seemingly way too overexcited about the idea; however, Phil was joyed at the sight, replying with “Sure, that sounds great” before watching Tony leave and come back with smaller purple flowers, mixing them with the others on the table. Once the blend of pink and purple was wrapped and ready to go, Phil paid quickly, thanking Tony for his help. “It’s no problem, really,” Tony smiled, “And good luck! I’m sure he’ll say yes.”  
With that, Phil thanked the other man again, leaving the shop to head back home with his bouquet of flowers, a smile on his face, and a warm yet anxious feeling in his heart. 

 

1pm

Turning the water off, Phil stepped out of the shower, wrapped a towel around his waist, and grabbed another to start drying his hair. He made his way back to his room to get dressed, careful not to squish the flowers hidden in his closet when looking for the right shirt to wear. After five minutes of searching, he gave up and changed into his pyjamas, plopping himself on his bed with his laptop. “You need to stop thinking about it, Phil,” he spoke quietly to himself trying to convince himself to relax. Even though he has everything planned and ready to go, he couldn’t help but wonder if something was going to go wrong. What if something happened to the reservation and they ended up having to go to some shabby fast food restaurant for supper? What if he lost the tickets to the show so they couldn’t get in? What if he lost the ring? No, he couldn’t be thinking about those things. Not if he wanted this night to be perfect. Just as Phil was starting to relax, scrolling through Tumblr and reblogging some cat video, Dan knocked on his door. 

“Phiiil,” he called, opening the door to poke his face through. “Can I borrow one of your shirts? Most of mine are in the wash.” Dan opened the door completely, walking in to stand next to Phil. 

“Yeah, sure,” he smiled up at his boyfriend. As Dan turned to walk towards the closet, Phil’s eyes went wide as he realised what was in there. He couldn’t let Dan see those yet! It would ruin everything! Phil threw his computer off his lap, almost falling off the bed, and bolted up to push his way between Dan and the closet. “I’ll get it for you,” he smiled again, but this one was much more forced. Phil only had time to see Dan quirk his face in confusion before he was reaching in to grab a shirt, throwing it at the other with a soft slam of the closet door. 

“Uh, thanks,” Dan chuckled bemusedly, confusion still present on his face, though it was quickly being overtaken with adoration. “Love you,” he rolled his eyes, giving Phil a quick peck on the cheek before leaving the bedroom. 

‘Well that was close’ Phil thought to himself, heart still racing. He took a moment to calm down before going back to his laptop. 

 

3pm 

After being on the internet for a while, Phil decided it was time to tell Dan about their plans for the night. He scrolled down just a few more posts on his dashboard before closing his laptop and heading to fetch the flowers. Once the bouquet of pink and purple was in hand, he quickly checked his fringe in the mirror before heading out towards the lounge. As he made his way down the hall, his heartrate rose, a mix of excitement and anxiety flooding his mind. He poked his head around the corner to make sure Dan was there, and then stepped in to the room, flowers behind his back and a small smile on his face. Dan was sitting in the sofa crease, computer on his lap, with a small frown as he concentrated on something on the screen. 

“Hey,” Phil said softly, moving to stand in front of Dan.  
“Hey,” Dan replied, far too interested in whatever he was reading to look up at his boyfriend. After a moment, however, he did focus on Phil, a curious look in his eyes.  
“What’s up?” 

A wide smile spread across Phil’s face. “I have something special planned for tonight.” Dan gave a confused look at his boyfriend’s words and Phil continued. “Dinner and a show! Everything is already planned and set up, we’re leaving at 4:30. And these!” he pulled the bouquet out from behind his back, holding them out for Dan to take. “These are for you,” he chirped as Dan reached out to take the flowers. 

At that, Dan pushed his laptop to the side and stood up, flowers in hand. “What’s this all for?” he questioned, a small smirk rising onto his face.  
“Just because,” Phil replied, his smiled getting wider, if that was even possible. “Because I love you and I want to take you out for a nice night. Is there a problem with that?” 

“No, no. I’m just surprised,” Dan tittered, shaking his head lightly as he looked down at his flowers with a smile before looking back up into Phil’s eyes.  
A surge of admiration shot through Phil as he caught his boyfriend’s gaze. “That was the plan,” he winked as he reached to cup Dan’s cheek, leaning in for a short kiss. As soon as he pulled away, hand still caressing the other’s face, he gave a soft smile. “You should start getting ready soon. Don’t have to dress too fancy, but keep it nice,” he giggled, walking back to his room to get ready himself. 

 

4pm 

Shirt – check; pants – check; socks – check; shoes – check; box - check. Everything was in order, all going according to plan. Phil was dressed and ready to go half an hour early like always. He made his way to Dan’s room, hoping to see that he was almost ready, but fully expecting him to still be in his pyjamas. To his surprise, Dan was in the middle of choosing an outfit. “Almost ready?” Phil asked, making Dan jump a little.  
“Jesus, you scared me,” he laughed, turning back to the two sets of clothes laid out on his bed. He quickly settled on one, shooing Phil out of the room so he could change. 

“Do I really have to leave? It’s not like I haven’t seen more before,” he teased, walking backwards out of the room anyway. He decided to wait in the lounge, passing the time by tweeting a gif of a kitten in a boot and replying to all of the comments. Before he knew it, Dan was standing in front of him, looking as dashing as ever, and it was only 4:22. 

“You’re early for once!” Phil exclaimed, only half joking. “Not that I’m complaining or anything, but damn I’m surprised.” He put his phone in his pocket and stood up, placing his hands on Dan’s hips.  
“Why would I ever keep you waiting?” Dan asked with innocent eyes. He chuckled and wrapped his arms around Phil’s neck.  
“Oh, you’d never do that, I’m sure,” Phil rolled his eyes lightly, leaning in for a short kiss before pulling completely away and grabbing Dan’s hand to lead him to the door. “Time to gooo,” he chirped, holding back a wide smile. 

Phil lead him down the street to the Underground, onto the train, off of the train, and into the restaurant, not once letting go of his hand. Every now and then he would check his pocket to make sure he still had the important cargo, safely hidden. Once they had their table, nerves set in. Phil couldn’t shake the feeling that he was going to mess up or chicken out. He tried to act as chill as possible, but halfway through their main course Dan piped up. “You okay, Phil? You seem, like, nervous or something. It’s not like this is our first date or anything,” Dan noted, a hint of worry on his face. 

“I’m fine, I promise,” Phil smiled the most convincing smile he could muster. “I’m having fun! I love spending time like this with you.” A fond expression took hold of Phil’s face as he stared at Dan, turning his boyfriend’s cheeks a light shade of pink. 

Though they were having nice conversations about this and that, the main thought in Phil’s head was when. The right time was bound to make its appearance, surely. ‘Maybe I’ll do it after we eat our meals,’ he thought, ‘or maybe after desert.’ They finished their meals, and he didn’t do it. They finished desert, and he didn’t do it. The bill came and Phil paid after Dan’s protesting, still with the small box in his pocket. ‘We’ve still got the rest of the night ahead of us,’ he reasoned to himself, ‘there’s still time.’ 

 

7pm 

As the pair waited in line to get into the theatre for the show, Phil was still hoping for the right time. What if he did it here? No, that wouldn’t do. Maybe after. Dan was excited to be able to see his favourite musical once again, the expression on his face taking Phil’s mind off of his worrying for now. Once they were seated and the show started, they didn’t talk much, too engrossed in the scene in front of them. After the show, when everyone was shuffling out of the theatre into the streets, Phil thought ‘maybe now, right outside the theatre, in front of all these people. I’m sure that would be right.’ And then they were outside, Dan grabbing Phil’s hand and pulling him in for a short kiss. “Thank you for tonight. I don’t know what this was all for but I’ve had fun,” Dan smiled, starting to lead Phil to the Underground to return home. ‘So much for that idea.’ 

On the train, Phil’s mind was racing. ‘That’s it,’ he thought, ‘it’s not going to happen tonight. Good damn job, Phil.’ 

Dan wanted to watch a movie when they got home, solely because he didn’t want their night to end. They started watching 21 Jump Street as it was the first thing they found. The box in Phil’s pocket was still there, starting to dig into his side as Dan leaned into him, resting his head of Phil’s shoulder. 

 

11pm

Phil wasn’t watching the movie. He was trying to, but he couldn’t keep his eyes off of the man sitting next to him. The way his eyes crinkled up when he laughed at a stupid joke, his dimple getting deeper with every smile, the light of the television illuminating his face, showing off his nose and his chin and his lips. After watching Dan for who knows how long, Phil realized that this was it. There was no need for it to happen in public. It didn’t need to be at a romantic dinner or the aftermath of a show. Looking at Dan in that setting, in their home where they lived together because they loved each other. That was the right time. 

Phil quickly reached for the remote and paused the movie. With a confused look from Dan, he sat up straight, forcing Dan to do so as well, and looked Dan in the eye. With love and determination spread across his face, Phil began to speak. 

“Dan. Tonight was supposed to be really special. I wanted everything to be perfect, right down to the last itty bitty detail, and it was. Almost. I just never found the right time. Not during dinner, not after dinner, after the show, on the way home, or any time in between. I didn’t know what was wrong with me, why I couldn’t just do it already. But I’ve realized that’s because now is the right time. Looking at you sitting here beside me, it’s made me fall deeper in love with you, Dan. Everything about you, I love with all my being and more. Words cannot express how I feel, because my love for you is so deep and eternal I can’t imagine there being any way to communicate it through some measly language. You are the light of my life. You make me happier than I’ve ever been, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” Phil slid to the ground on one knee and reached into his pocket, pulling out the small box that had been there are all day. Opening the lid, Phil showed Dan the contents: a silver ring with small diamonds implanted around the middle. “Daniel Howell, will you do me the incredible honour of becoming my husband?” For a moment, Phil thought he had messed something up. Dan was just sitting there, mouth slightly ajar, staring at Phil. But just as Phil was about to start apologizing, Dan started laughing. “Of course I’ll marry you, Phil,” Dan giggled, reaching a hand out to touch Phil’s cheek. “I’m just surprised that you planned that entire night and decided to propose to me while we’re on our couch watching a movie.” Dan paused for a second and Phil’s heart was racing. “But I love it. And I love you. Come here, you dweeb.”  
Dan leaned forward and brushed his lips against Phil’s, lightly but full of love. Phil let out a sigh of relief, leaning forward to deepen their kiss with a smile. After a few moments, they parted, and Phil placed the ring onto Dan’s finger. “Let’s continue that movie, now,” Phil laughed, unpausing the television while Dan leaned back into him. As the night progressed, neither man payed much attention to the story unfolding on the screen in front of them. They were much too focused on each other and all the happenings of that day: one of the most wonderful days of their life.


End file.
